Ohio University | Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology

ISE Senior Design: Kroger

Athens, OH 18 April 2013 – Our senior design project was in coordination with Kroger Corporation, which is one of the nation’s largest grocery chains, at their store right here in Athens. We are focused on the front-end operations, which deal with the checkout process. We as a team are in charge of making this process more efficient. Making things better is the heart and soul of Industrial & Systems Engineering.

We spent countless hours in the local Kroger grocery store collecting valuable data. This data provided the foundation for our project, where we applied Six Sigma methods. Six Sigma is a tool used by Industrial & System Engineers used to reduce variance and promote efficiency. It can be used in tandem with Lean Manufacturing which reduces waste within a given process. These efficiency tools helped us find areas of improvement within the front end of Kroger. When we find these areas of possible improvement, it is then onto improving the process. This is where the real fun begins. With our suggestions there are millions of dollars at stake to be saved.

These projects create a great opportunity for students like me to get out into the real world and work for real corporations. This is something I plan on putting on my resume and remaining proud of the work I have accomplished with the rest of my team. Senior design is a great way to end my journey here at Ohio University as an undergraduate student. I will use the lessons I’ve learned for the rest of my life.